


Broken

by BreakfastTea



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Iris is a badass, Royal Arms (Final Fantasy XV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:46:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24444556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreakfastTea/pseuds/BreakfastTea
Summary: Noctis is attacked by people who know him and his weakness, and they're not afraid to use it against him.
Comments: 25
Kudos: 154





	Broken

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Fanfic Friday 2020! Today is the start of eight weeks of new fics from me :D
> 
> First up, an anon's request that kiiiiinda got away from me ^^;

This was not going to end well.

Noctis stared at the two men circling him. Both had weapons, and they weren’t letting him move. He was in a Lestallum back alley, on his way back to the hotel after dropping Iris off at a local café to check in with other evacuees. He’d noticed them peel off from a larger group and follow him. Determined to get them away from Iris, Noctis tried to lose them, but short of warping away (which Ignis frowned upon when they were in cities, given that anyone could be a Niflheim spy and could disclose his location), Noctis was trapped. And now, just shy of the hotel, they’d managed to pin him down.

“Here he is,” said one, his hair shaved down to a brown stubble, his grey eyes dancing with barely restrained violence. “The pride and joy of Lucis.”

The other man spat at him, the glob of saliva sparkling by Noctis’ boot. “Your father would be ashamed of you. You should be dead, not him.”

“He’d be fighting for Lucis, for Insomnia!” the first man snarled. “You left us all to die, and now you’re here doing nothing when you should be fighting for us! Like we would’ve for you.”

With a sickening jolt, Noctis realised he knew them, remembered them from the Citadel, where they’d worn Crownsguard uniforms. Back then, they would’ve bowed if he’d walked past. Back then, they were ordered to put his life before theirs. Now, they stared at him with open hostility.

Now they looked like they intended to kill him.

Hands raised, Noctis kept his voice level. “I promise you, I am doing what I must for Lucis.”

“Really? Because it looks to us like you’re just hanging out around town, taking in the sights, having fun with your friends,” said the bald man.

“Yeah, and while you do that, people are being slaughtered across Lucis! People are fleeing Insomnia with nothing, and you’re just carrying on like it’s all some big party!” the spitter said. He ran a hand through his greasy brown hair. “We’ve seen you and your friends. Bastards!”

Noctis didn’t have a chance to say anything else. The pair swung at him, daggers sliding out of their sleeves and into their hands. Noctis dodged, rolling under their swipes. He regained his footing, but these men had been trained by Cor, and they knew how to fight. The bald one somersaulted over his head while the other lashed out again. Noctis called out a dagger of his own, catching the spitter’s blade and knocking it out of his grip. Noctis didn’t want to kill the man, so he twisted the dagger in his hand and smashed the hilt into the man’s nose. It broke with a spurt of blood and he staggered back with a cry.

The bald man was there, and he knew how to fight Noctis. He moved fast, and when Noctis dodged around him, the man expected it and his blade swung in a backwards arc. Noctis blocked it and grabbed it, sending the weapon into his Armiger.

“That’s a cheap trick, asshole.” The man didn’t stop. He switched to hand to hand, forcing Noctis to block a flurry of punches and kicks. He forced Noctis back down the alleyway, closer to the hotel but not enough for it to make a difference. No one would come running.

Not that Noctis needed them to. He was tired of playing with this guy. In one smooth move, he warped over his head and dropped back down on top of him, slamming him to the ground.

“Enough,” Noctis said. “If you won’t do it for me, do it for my father. You should be fighting for the people you say I’m failing.” He adjusted his hold to make sure the man couldn’t wiggle free. He glanced over and saw the other guy was still struggling with his broken nose. He knew better than to lose focus. “Both of you are Crownsguard, trained to protect. Join the Hunters. Make a difference in people’s lives. And whether you believe it or not, I am doing the same. I am fighting for Lucis. I am going to stop the Empire. And if that means stopping in other places to help people on the way, that’s what I’m gonna do.”

The bald man slumped in Noctis’ grip. “Fuck.” There was no heat in it. It seemed his anger had abandoned him.

Noctis checked the bleeding guy. “You gonna do anything stupid?”

“No,” the man said, voice muffled behind his hands and the blood. He wouldn’t meet Noctis’ eyes.

“Alright. I’m gonna release you,” Noctis told the bald man. “And we’re all gonna walk away.” He needed to get back to Iris, check she was okay. Anxiety curdled in his stomach. “Remember your sworn duty and help the refugees.”

He got two grunts in response.

Noctis released the man, stood up, and backed away, never taking his eyes off him.

“You gonna give me back my weapon?” the bald man asked as he pulled himself back to his feet.

Noctis could hear Gladio shouting in his head about never giving an enemy back their advantage. But he also couldn’t leave someone unarmed in times like these. He pulled the dagger out of the Armiger and launched it at the ground, lodging it there.

“Take care of our people,” Noctis said.

“As long as you do,” the bald man said.

Taking a deep breath, Noctis summoned the weapons he had gathered from his ancestors. The hung around him, shining in their crystalline light. Both men drew back. Maybe they were afraid they’d get stabbed.

“Niflheim will be stopped,” Noctis said. He sent the weapons back. “Whatever it takes. I swear to you, I am gathering what I need to reclaim our home.”

“You need to hurry up,” the bald man said. “There’s another two of us with the girl.”

Panic chilled Noctis to the core. His voice came out in a low growl. “If she’s hurt, you better pray I never find you.”

He left the men behind, running back to find Iris. Exiting the alleyways leading to the hotel, Noctis found himself back in the bustling market.

Screams hit the air before he could find Iris. Swearing, pulling his phone out, he scrolled to Gladio’s number.

And didn’t have time to dial it when a terrible, agonising pain shot through his whole body. Stun weapon! He dropped to the ground, his phone falling from his grip. Hands grabbed him, dragged him through the fleeing crowd and dumped him on the ground.

“Noct!” It was Iris. He looked up and saw her try to run to him, only for a tall woman to grab her and yank her back. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know they’d –”

“That’s enough from you, girl.” A deep voice came from behind Noctis. “Well, well, look at what the chocobo dragged in. Our noble leader.”

Another member of the Crownsguard. Noctis knew the voice well. This was Derek, one of Monica’s most trusted lieutenants.

He’d betrayed his oath too.

“I thought you’d been trained better than this,” Derek said. His scuffed boots appeared in Noctis’ line of sight. “Seems you really are a useless waste of space.”

The boot smashed into his face. Noctis felt blood erupt from his nose, the hot, tacky liquid pouring over his lips and into his mouth. Head pounding, body still stunned, he couldn’t do anything to block the follow up kicks that found his chest and stomach.

“Stop it!” Iris cried out.

“Shut her up,” Derek ordered the woman.

“Leave her alone!” Noctis wheezed.

That earned him a kick to the head. His vision blacked out for a few seconds. He came to, head pounding, vision spiralling. Noctis tried to get his limbs to cooperate, but with the stun weapon still running through him, he didn’t stand a chance. He locked eyes with Iris. The woman had her forearm wrapped around Iris’ throat, but Iris wasn’t crying or shaking. She looked angry. She nodded slightly. She was ready. The moment she saw an opening, she needed to take it. Noctis knew she would. She was a lot stronger than she looked.

And hopefully the commotion from the market would bring the others running sooner rather than later.

Until then, Noctis needed to stand. Forcing a breath into his emptied lungs, Noctis tried to absorb the electricity from the stun weapon. If he could do that, he could move sooner. It worked, his limbs stilling. Noctis got his hands and feet beneath him, ignoring the dizzy spinning of his pounding head.

“Oh, no you don’t, Your Highness.”

His back exploded into a riot of burning agony. His bad leg gave way immediately. The man had stamped on his scar with steel toe-capped boots. He’d known exactly where to aim the kick, too. Of course he did. All Crownsguard learned about Noctis’ weakness in case they had to protect him during an attack. This bastard had used it against him. Burning with pain and anger, Noctis knew he couldn’t give up. He knew he wouldn’t be able to walk, but he needed to try.

“Don’t move!” Derek bellowed.

He followed it up with a second blow, heel grinding in to scarred flesh, pressing harder and harder until Noctis blacked out again.

Iris’ voice brought him back. “I said leave him alone!”

Noctis watched her throw off her attacker, launching a skull cracking punch directly into the woman’s face. She dropped without a word. Iris didn’t stop, turning to the man who had Noctis under his foot.

Noctis felt the cold metal of a gun barrel being pressed to his neck. “Stop there, young lady, or he dies.”

Iris fell back, posture still poised for a fight. “Let him go,” she snarled. “You have no idea what you’re doing!”

“I’m getting revenge for every soul he left behind to rot in Insomnia.”

“He’s fighting for all of us!” Iris said. “You don’t understand. You don’t –”

The man sighed and moved the gun so it aimed squarely at Iris. “Shut your mouth or you’ll both die.”

Iris threw herself at the man. Her foot swung out, knocking the gun away. She moved to deliver another punch, but the man was faster. He grabbed Iris’ wrist and twisted it. Noctis heard the bone snap.

Anger burned through everything. Noctis’s hand curled into fists as he unleashed his ancestor’s weapons from the Armiger.

One moment the man was there, the next he was skewered by three Royal Arms.

He wouldn’t be hurting anyone ever again.

“Noct!” Iris came running to his side. She crouched, her broken wrist held to her chest while her other hand reached for her phone. “Don’t move. I’ll call my brother. It’s gonna be okay.”

“I’m sorry,” Noctis said, fighting back against the exhaustion brought on by the Royal Arms. It was all so new to him, and his body was wracked with so much pain right now he could hardly breathe. Adding an additional drain to that wasn’t a great idea. He wanted to throw up. “I’m so sorry he hurt you.”

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come out like this. I shouldn’t have –”

Noctis pulled a Hi-Potion out of the Armiger and handed it to Iris. “Use it.”

“Don’t you need this?”

“No.” He needed something much stronger. “Do it. If anyone else comes, you’ll have to fight.”

Iris didn’t hesitate. The Hi-Potion worked fast. She flexed her hand and gave a tiny smile. “All fixed.”

“Can you see my phone anywhere?” Noctis asked.

“Uh… Yeah. Got it!” She scooped it up and handed it back.

“Thanks. Call your brother.”

“Right.” Iris pressed the phone to her ear. “Ugh, he isn’t answering!”

Probably because he was already on his way. Noctis opened his mouth to reassure Iris, but before he could, hands grabbed her and pulled her back. She swung out, fists punching. “I will rip your face off!” she screamed.

Noctis believed she could do it.

“Whoa, whoa! Iris, it’s me.” Gladio held his sister close. “What the hell happened?”

“Noct!” Prompto was there at his side. “What happened?”

“I can’t move,” Noctis said, trying to breathe and not pass out.

“What happened?” Ignis was there too.

“The man stamped on Noct’s back,” Iris said.

“What man?” Gladio demanded.

“The dead one,” Iris said.

Somehow, that made Noctis laugh. Or cry. He wasn’t sure anymore.

“Did you do that?” Gladio asked Iris.

“No. Noct did it.”

“Okay.” Gladio had never sounded so relieved.

“Can you stand?” Prompto asked Noctis.

Noctis shook his head. No standing. No walking. He’d prefer not moving at all, but he knew that wasn’t an option.

“We need to leave, now.” Ignis said. “Gladio.”

Gladio came over. “Sorry, Noct. This is gonna hurt, but we gotta go. We’ll get one of your good potions out of the car, focus on that.”

“I’ll go on ahead and bring the car up to one of the alleyway entrances. The one closest to the hotel,” Ignis said. “We need to stay somewhere else tonight. We must assume Lestallum isn’t safe for the time being.”

“Prompto, you need to guard us,” Gladio said.

“Got it.”

“I can too!” Iris said.

“Do it. Anyone comes for us that you don’t like the look of, take them out,” Gladio ordered.

“You got it,” Prompto said.

Gladio’s hand rested atop Noctis’ head. “We’re going.”

Noctis drew a breath and held it. Gladio didn’t waste any time. He slid his hands beneath Noctis, rolled him and lifted in one swift movement. Agony took hold of him, seizing every muscle. He didn’t black out, but he wished he could. Gods, he wished he could pass out and not feel like his back had torn open. Instead, he had to endure it, eyes squeezed shut.

“Breathe, Noct.”

He tried. He really tried. But it just made everything worse. His lungs felt ready to explode. His head pounded, red light blooming behind his closed eyes.

“Noct!”

Gladio pinched him. Hard. Instinct kicked in and Noctis gasped.

“That’s it. We’re almost there.”

It was the longest ‘almost’ of Noctis’ life. He only knew they’d reached the car when he heard Ignis’ voice. “I have the potion ready. Noct?”

He opened his eyes and took it from Ignis. Cracking it, he felt the medicine and magic washing through him. He didn’t feel it kick in as hard as it usually did, the pain barely dialling down. It did, however, knock him out within minutes.

Gladio lowered Noctis into the back seat, taking care to rest him on his stomach. He turned to the others. “Alright, we need to get out. Ignis, Prompto. You guys need to drive him to a caravan. We’re gonna need beds for a while.”

“Agreed. I think we need a safe place. Perhaps we can risk the trip to Wiz’s,” Ignis said. “But what about you two?”

Gladio nodded to Iris. “We’ll rent a couple of chocobos and meet you there. Don’t stop for anything.”

“We’re on it,” Prompto said as Ignis slid into the driving seat. “Be safe, okay?”

“Yeah, you too,” Gladio said.

They drove off. Gladio let out a heavy breath. “We need to move.”

“Is Noct gonna be okay?” Iris asked.

“He will be, thanks to you,” Gladio said.

Iris shook her head. “I got into trouble and if I hadn’t –”

Gladio went to her, wrapping her up in a hug. “You kicked ass. I’m proud of you.”

Iris nodded. “I did kick ass.”

Gladio laughed.

“But I don’t understand it. They were Crownsguard. They said awful things. Why don’t people understand Noct’s doing everything he can to help?”

“Because they want to see a big, flashy demonstration,” Gladio said. “They don’t have the patience for a long, quiet battle.”

“They got flashy,” Iris said. “Or at least the dead guy did. I didn’t know Noct could do that with the Royal Arms. Dad told me about King Regis, but –”

“Like I said, it’s a long, quiet battle.”

“Well then, I’m happy to do anything I can do to help,” Iris said. Her eyes lit up. “Are we really gonna get some chocobos?”

Grinning, Gladio wrapped his arm around his little sister’s shoulders. “You’re damn right we are.”

It was a long journey across country. Gladio couldn’t turn off his worry for Noctis, but it was great to spend some quality time with his sister. She’d been amazing, holding her own against highly-trained, if traitorous, Crownsguard.

By the time they made it to Wiz’s, night was almost upon them. Gladio had never been so glad to see the big, electric lights. No way did he want to test his sister’s strength against daemons. Their chocobos delivered them safely to the caravan. The Regalia was parked directly outside it. All was quiet. Gladio took that to mean Noctis hadn’t woken up. Probably a good thing. He’d been in a bad, bad way.

“Stay here,” he told Iris. “Just in case, ah –”

“Just in case what?”

“In case someone’s naked,” Gladio said.

To his surprise, Iris giggled. He’d expected blushing and blabbering. “Right! I’d hate to embarrass anyone.”

Shaking his head, Gladio slid into the caravan. There, he found Prompto at the table and Ignis cooking. “Hey,” Gladio said. “We made it.”

“We?” Prompto asked. “Where’s Iris?”

“Outside. I just had to make sure everyone was decent before I allowed her to set foot in here.”

Ignis sighed. “You are making us sound quite uncouth.”

“Hey, she’s my sister. I gotta protect her.”

“Because we all walk around being gross and weird when she’s not here?” Prompto asked.

Gladio groaned. “Forget it. How’s Noct?”

“Out,” Ignis said. “Although probably not for much longer. I have another potion ready for him.”

“Another one?” Two in one day? That was unheard of since the early days of his injury.

“You’ll need to look at it,” Ignis said. “You know how to help him better than I do, but I think real damage has been done.”

“Okay,” Gladio said. “I’m gonna let Iris come in then I’ll check on Noct.”

“Of course,” Ignis said.

Gladio went back for his sister. Prompto welcomed her enthusiastically, sitting with her and sharing his chocobo photos. While they chatted, Gladio slipped into the sleeping area. It was dark, so he lit a lamp and checked on Noctis. He was sleeping, albeit not peacefully. Noctis mumbled, his whole body tense, sweat dripping off him. Gladio crouched down. He could feel the heat rolling off his friend, and when he carefully raised his t-shirt, he hissed at the sight of all the bruising. He could also make out clear boot prints, right where his scar was at its deepest.

“It’s a damn good thing you killed him before I got my hands on him,” Gladio muttered. He ran a hand over Noctis’ head. “This is really gonna suck, kid, but we’ll get through it.”

Noctis stirred. “Gladio?” his voice was thick with sleep and pain.

“Yeah, it’s me. I can’t give you anything yet, but do you need to move?”

“Side,” Noctis said. “S’digging in. M’on something. Hurts.”

The potions always left him non-sensical. Thankfully, Gladio was well-versed in drugged up Noctis speech. “Yeah, I know you’re uncomfortable. Okay. We’ll take it slow.”

No response. Noctis was already asleep again.

Gripping Noctis, Gladio eased him onto his good side. Noctis didn’t stir as Gladio cautiously rolled him. Good. The longer he slept, the better. This wasn’t going to be easy. Noctis’ back was temperamental at the best of times. This had been a vicious, targeted attack. Chances were they’d be here for longer than they wanted to be.

And the supply of good potions, the ones concocted by King Regis and the Citadel’s doctors, were limited. They’d probably have to switch to the less effective backup meds to preserve the supply.

Carefully, Gladio massaged Noctis’ back. He winced at the tense, swollen muscle beneath his hands. That bastard had really hurt him. The fucker had known exactly where to aim his attack too. Gladio clenched his jaw, trying not to press too hard even as the anger and frustration at his own failure left him needing to break something. Noctis cried out in his sleep, but slowly, some of the tension slipped from his body.

“Sleep,” Gladio told him. “There’s nothing worth waking up for.”

Making a mental list of supplies, Gladio slipped back into the caravan’s main area. He checked the freezer, knowing Ignis would’ve already seen to loading it up with ice packs.

“How is he?” Iris asked.

“Sleeping,” Gladio said. “He’s gonna be fine.”

“You’re sure?” Iris asked. “I thought I heard him.”

“He’s pretty out of it, but I had to move him to a better position. That wasn’t fun, but we managed.” Gladio didn’t share his deeper concerns because recovery was Noctis’ only option. “It might take a few days, but he’ll be okay.”

“It’s just… I haven’t… I haven’t seen him like that before. Not that bad, anyway,” Iris said. “I wasn’t ever allowed to visit on his worst days.”

Gladio remembered. They’d kept Iris away partly because Noctis hated to be seen on days when his back rendered him immobile and the pain left him shaking and crying. However, Gladio had also kept his sister away to protect her. He knew it would upset her to see her friend like that…

…Although she’d dealt with today incredibly well. Maybe he needed to trust her a little more with the nastier things in life.

“Don’t worry, Iris. Noct’s strong,” Prompto said. “Everything’s gonna be fine.”

* * *

Noctis drifted in and out of dreams, never fully waking. Sunk beneath the surface, pain swallowed him, pulsing from his back. So, so uncomfortable. Hot. Needed… move. He needed to get up but he couldn’t because… because…

Back.

He tried to speak, tried to open his eyes and figure out where he was, but the medicine swept back over, dragging him down. He thought he heard Gladio, might’ve even managed to respond, but then he was gone again.

Pain ate into him, nausea burbling in its wake. He could feel himself panting for breath, like he’d started running a race that wouldn’t ever end. Wake up. He needed to wake up. Move. He was too hot, needed to rest, needed to… needed…

“Noct?”

He dragged his eyes open. Ignis was there. He had an icepack in one hand, and a bottle of water in the other.

“I know you probably want some more pain relief, but you must drink first. You’re seriously dehydrated.”

Head thumping in time with his back, Noctis did as he was told. He didn’t argue or complain. He didn’t have the energy. He knew he’d been asleep for a long time; he could feel the leftover lag the specialist potions left behind.

“I’m going to put the icepacks on your back to reduce the swelling and inflammation,” Ignis said. “And then we need to decide what pain relief you want.”

There was no ‘we’. It was always Noctis’ choice. He hated to chase one potion with another, but deep down the pain was there, at its absolute worst, ready to strike. It meant he’d probably lose another day. And after that, he’d have to downgrade to lesser painkillers no matter what. Mostly because Gladio would start working him through his physio routine.

Except Noctis knew, without even having to experiment, that his leg wouldn’t move.

Ignis placed the icepacks. Noctis tried not to flinch. The cold shock sent frissons through him. He chewed the inside of his mouth, pulping it. He held on for as long as he could, but the ice awoke the pain, and it was no good. He needed that potion. Now.

Ever prepared, Ignis had brought one in with him. He helped Noctis break it open. Moments later, Noctis was drifting off again, his body separating from his mind.

This was not good.

“Hush, Noct. It’s going to be alright.”

Noctis didn’t even have time to feel bad for not keeping the words in his head.

Ignis stayed until he wasn’t certain Noctis was out again. At least this way they could keep the ice on his back. Anything to help reduce swelling. Noctis had taken a beating before he and Iris had freed themselves.

Not wanting to leave Noctis alone, Ignis pulled his phone out and messaged the others. They were out with Wiz, helping with the chocobos to pay for the caravan’s rent. Not that Wiz ever seemed to mind them staying longer than the average tourist. Ignis was eternally grateful to the man. In fact, he was grateful to everyone who made their journey easier. And he burned with deep, unabating rage at those who did this, who added challenges to an already harsh journey.

Ignis forced himself to release a long breath. Noctis and Iris had dealt with their attackers. There was no one Ignis could fight. Instead, he simply had to be here. He reached out, his hand closing around Noctis’ and squeezing. “You’re not alone.”

* * *

Iris threw the last of the haybales into the storage barn, closing the door with a sigh. It felt good to help out. She hadn’t spent a day working like this in too long. She was a regular volunteer at the Citadel’s stables, but she hadn’t been there in a while because of school and… well, the stables probably didn’t exist anymore, which was too dark a thought for such a lovely day. For the first time, she was able to put the horrors of Insomnia out of her mind and just do something useful.

And it was even better to be doing it with her brother, surrounded by adorable chocochicks. How could anything be so cute? She made sure Prompto took photos. Lots of photos.

“Wow. Thank you so much, young lady.”

Iris turned and found Wiz behind her. “Oh, you’re welcome!”

“Come on, you need to take a break. There’s food and drink in the staff kitchen. Wash up and help yourself. Your friends are already there.”

Wiz indicated for her to follow him. He led her around the back of the main building into an area with a big Staff Only sign. She could already see Gladio and Prompto and hurried to join them.

“Having fun?” Gladio asked.

“So much!” she said. “I wish I could stay here.”

“Me too!” Prompto said. He waved his camera. “Look at these guys.”

Grabbing herself a plate of food and a large glass of water, Iris sat beside him, looking at all the photos he’d taken. Ten pictures in, Gladio got up and headed out. Iris waved him off. She wanted more cute pictures, and Prompto was happy to provide. He went back too far to one of Noctis from a few days ago, smirking from a perch he’d obviously warped to.

“You know, he used to do that when we were playing hide and seek in the Citadel,” Iris said. “It drove me crazy! I couldn’t ever find him.”

“What did you do?” Prompto asked.

Iris shrugged. “Cried until he promised to play fair.”

“Yeah, Noctis can’t deal with crying. He gets all weird and awkward.” Prompto laughed. “Well, more awkward than normal.”

Iris grinned. “I know. Which is why I always won our arguments. He never, ever realised I could fake it.”

“He is so innocent sometimes,” Prompto said.

“He is,” Iris said. “It’s adorable.”

She swirled the water in her glass, thinking back to how he’d killed that man yesterday. It hadn’t surprised her. Why would it? She knew what he’d been training to do. She knew he’d done the right thing. You couldn’t grow up in the Amicitia household and be squeamish about death.

Didn’t mean she liked the fact that Noctis had to kill to survive.

“I want to check on him,” she said. “Will Ignis let me?”

“Of course he will,” Prompto said. “Finish up your food and we’ll head back over.”

Ten minutes later, they were back at the caravan. Prompto led the way. Iris stepped in behind him and found her brother with Ignis at the small kitchen table. Noctis was nowhere in sight.

“How is he?” Iris asked.

“Still sleeping,” Ignis said. “You’re welcome to sit with him for a while. I don’t think he’ll be awake for some time yet.”

“Might wanna take a shower first,” Gladio said.

She winced. Her brother wasn’t wrong.

“Shall we step out?” Ignis said. He wasn’t asking the others, he was politely ordering them. He had such a way with words.

Once they were out, Iris made quick work of showering. She didn’t have any clean clothes of her own, so she borrowed a pair of her brother’s pyjamas, tying the excess fabric in places so nothing would fall off. Clean and smelling far fresher, Iris slipped into the sleeping area. It was dark and cool, and she could hear Noctis’ slow, deep breaths. He was asleep on his side, hair spilling over his face. Iris reached out and swept it back. “There,” she said, keeping her voice quiet. “Much better.”

She stayed with him for hours. She stayed with him until she started nodding off.

Which was right when he started waking up. His grunt of pain startled her out of her dreams. “Noct!”

“Iris?” He sounded confused.

“Yeah, it’s me. Just a minute.” It was dark now. She had to get up and find a lamp. She used her phone’s light to find one, flicking it on and sending soft light across the bedroom. “You okay?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew it was a stupid question. Noctis definitely wasn’t okay. “I’ll get Ignis.”

“No, wait.” Noctis reached for her, his clammy hand gripping her baggy t-shirt. “I need Gladio.”

“Okay, I’ll get him.” She hurried to the small, sliding door.

“Iris?”

She stopped. “Yeah?”

Noctis’ smile was small and pained, but it was a smile nonetheless. “You did good.”

Elated, she nodded and slipped out. Gladio and the others were seated outside, bathed in the electric glow of the huge lights. “Gladdy,” she called. “Noct’s awake. He needs you.”

Standing, her brother gave her hair a ruffle and headed in. He knew why Noctis needed him. It was awkward, helping him into the bathroom with such limited space to move in, but they managed. Noctis clung to Gladio, his whole body trembling. Pain robbed him of colour. Actually, he looked ready to pass out.

“Hang in there, Noct,” Gladio said as he helped him stand at the sink long enough to wash his hands and brush his teeth. Anything to freshen up a bit.

“Sorry,” Noctis mumbled.

“You don’t need to be sorry,” Gladio said.

Noctis didn’t answer. When he was finished, Gladio carried him back to bed. Because Noctis couldn’t walk yet. His bad leg wasn’t going to take his weight. His leg wasn’t moving at all. And from the tension in his body, he was still in a lot of pain.

“Breathe, Noct. You gotta breathe.”

“I know,” Noctis gasped.

“Feel up to a few movements?” Gladio needed to know how bad things were.

Noctis’ laugh was close to a sob. “Not really.”

“Okay, then I need an honest answer.”

This time, Noctis did sob. “I can’t feel my leg properly.”

Gladio lowered him back onto the bed. “We can fix that. I’m gonna put you on your front and have a look.”

Noctis hid his face behind his hands. “What if –”

“No what ifs, Noct.” Because right now, Gladio’s own misgivings threatened to choke him. “It’s a bad day. We get through bad days. You always do.”

“Right.” Noctis released a shaky breath. “You’re right.”

“And we’re gonna take it slow, and we’re not gonna push it harder than you should.”

Noctis looked up through his sweaty hair. “Who are you?” He asked with a smirk. “And what did you do with the real Gladio?”

“Ha ha, smartass.” Gladio made sure all the caravan’s lights were on. “Alright. I’m gonna take a look. Just keep breathing, okay? No matter what.”

Noctis didn’t answer. Gladio knew him well enough to know he was doing his best. Moving carefully, he lifted Noctis’ shirt and lowered his sweats enough to reveal the scar and the bruising. Gladio barely held back his reaction. This was the first time he’d seen it properly. The scar was inflamed, the bruising around it blooming purple and red. Gladio knew better than to do anything right now other than ice and rest. A potion or two might help. And they had a few herbal-based creams that were good for easing bruising.

“I’m gonna move your leg,” Gladio said. “We’re gonna take it slow. The second it’s too much, you tell me. And don’t put a brave face on it, alright?”

“No brave faces, got it.”

Gladio moved to Noctis’ leg, placing his hands, ready to manipulate it. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Within seconds, they discovered that Noctis had next to no movement in his leg that didn’t cause pain.

“Stop!” Noctis gasped. “This isn’t working.”

Gladio backed off without question. “Tell me where the pain goes.”

“Into my back.” He laughed bitterly. “I can actually feel it in my knee too, so silver lining, right?”

“Sure,” Gladio said, trying to sound light even though right now all he could think of was how long would this injury stop him and just how much treatment would they realistically pull off so far from home. “Have you had pain like it before?”

“Yeah, but not for a few years,” Noctis gasped. “It’s the swelling. Can’t do anything –”

“– Until it goes down.” Yeah, sounded familiar. Gladio felt the first trickle of relief going through him. They could handle this. They could treat it. “So, more ice packs?”

“Yeah,” Noctis said.

“Okay, we can do that.” Gladio stood up. “You realise Ignis is gonna make you eat before you take any more meds?”

“Alright,” Noctis said.

“Prompto and Iris are probably gonna wanna see you too.”

“Okay,” Noctis said.

“Wanna sit up before I send them in?” Gladio asked.

“Can’t,” Noctis said.

“Gotcha.” Gladio stepped out, feeling more positive than he had since yesterday. He gave the others the good news. Ignis was up immediately, preparing soup. Iris and Prompto stared up at him, not saying a word. Gladio made room for them both to enter the bedroom. “Take some icepacks and keep it calm. He needs rest.”

Prompto sprung to his feet. “Not a problem, right, Iris?”

“Right!”

Gladio watched them head in, then turned to Ignis. “He really is gonna be okay.”

“I know,” Ignis said, quietly.

“Just try not to do your mother chocobo thing too much. It’ll frustrate him, and he’s gonna find this hard enough.” Gladio moved closer, keeping his voice low. “He’ll get past this, but it’s bad.”

Ignis stopped cooking. “How bad?”

Gladio was never one to shy away from nasty truths. “I’d say we’re probably a week away from him being able to use his leg.”

“We can manage,” Ignis said. “We’re quite well-funded right now. And I’m sure Wiz will pay us if we help out around the Outpost.”

“I think you’d have a fight on your hands if you tried to stop Iris and Prompto,” Gladio said.

Smiling, Ignis returned to the soup. “I had no intention of stopping them. I’d hardly want them cooped up in here if it’s unnecessary.”

Gladio shuddered at the thought.

Twenty minutes later, Gladio carried the soup, a glass of water and some painkillers through to the sleeping area. He found Noctis, Prompto and Iris watching something off Prompto’s phone.

“Hate to break up the party, but Ignis made dinner and someone here need to take their meds unless they also want a lecture to go with their food,” Gladio said.

Making their apologies, Prompto and Iris headed out. Gladio set the soup, water and pills down. “How do you wanna do this?” he asked Noctis.

Noctis mulled it over. “I could try sitting for a few minutes.”

“As long as we get enough soup into you for you to take your meds, a few minutes is all it’s gonna take,” Gladio said.

It took some careful manoeuvring and a lot of swearing on Noctis’ part, but they managed to get him upright enough, propped weirdly on his side, for him to swallow enough soup and his meds.

“This fucking sucks,” Noctis said as he handed the bowl back to Gladio.

“Yeah, I know,” Gladio said. “But it could be worse.”

“I know,” Noctis said, voice going distant.

“Focus on what we can do,” Gladio told him. “Need anything before I get you settled?”

“No,” Noctis said through a yawn.

“Okay.”

After another round of colourful swearing, during which Gladio told Noctis not to breathe a word of that salty language to his precious baby sister, Noctis was flat on his stomach again, fresh icepacks pressed to his back.

“Hey, Gladio?” Noctis asked, already half-asleep again.

“Yeah?”

“Iris kicks ass. You better be proud of her.”

“Tch, damn right I am.”

“Good. ‘Cause if you try telling her she can’t fight, I’m gonna… gonna…” Noctis paused for a jaw-popping yawn. “I’m gonna kick your ass.”

Gladio snorted. “Sure you are, Noct. _Sure_ you are.”

* * *

A week later, Noctis managed to hobble around Wiz’s place on a pair of crutches he’d stashed in the Armiger. Prompto realised he had no idea how much Noctis kept in there. He watched his friend, relief and sympathy warring inside him. He was so glad Noctis was on the mend, but he hated the struggle is friend had. His physio sessions with Gladio sounded awful, but Noctis went through them daily no matter how much it hurt.

“It’s just what I have to do,” Noctis told him as he went for his daily hop around the chocobo outpost. “Better this than the alternative.”

“Yeah, but –” Prompto sighed and kicked aside a loose rock. “I wish you didn’t.”

“Thanks,” Noctis said. He gave his bad leg an experimental swing. “Hmm. Better than it was.” He still couldn’t put his full weight on it yet. Hence the crutches. It meant they couldn’t leave Wiz’s. No way could they risk getting caught in the open in a fight right now.

Prompto sighed. “I wish people understood what you’re doing to help.”

“What we’re doing,” Noctis said.

Prompto wasn’t sure he was doing anything really. “I just wanna show them, you know?”

“We will when we take back what’s ours,” Noctis said. “Just focus on that.”

“I’m trying.”

“Noct! Prompto!” Iris waved to them from one of the small nurseries where the youngest chocochicks waited. “Look at these little guys!”

“Coming!” Prompto called back, camera appearing in his hand.

“You can go on ahead,” Noctis said.

“What? No way! There’s no rush. They’re not gonna get any bigger in the time it’ll take us to get there,” Prompto said.

They made it to the chicks and Noctis found a way to carefully lower himself to the haybale. Prompto left him to settle while he took photos for Iris, capturing the chicks and their chilled parents.

“Wiz said we can name them!” Iris said. She lifted the fluffiest bundle of yellow feathers. “How about Sunny?” she asked

“You need to be more original than that,” Noctis shot back.

“Oh, rude!” Iris cried out. “Prompto, you like Sunny, right?”

“Definitely,” Prompto said. “This little guy – ”

“Little lady,” Iris corrected.

“Right, little lady, is Sunny.”

Iris beamed. Prompto beamed back. It was great to spend time with a fellow chocobo fanatic. Noctis liked them plenty, but he was definitely more of a cat person. He’d been looking out for the handful that lived around Wiz’s outpost. Even Ignis hadn’t said anything when they all came back one afternoon to find Noctis dozing with one cat curled against his chest and another making a home for itself in his hair.

Scooping up another chick, Prompto placed the fluffy kwehing ball on Noctis’ lap. “That one’s yours.”

“Boy or girl?” Noctis asked.

Iris checked. “Girl.”

“How can you tell?” Prompto asked.

“Wiz told me. You have to –”

“Aaaaah, tell me later. Maybe. I’m not sure I need to know,” Prompto said.

Iris rolled her eyes.

Prompto captured a picture of Noctis stroking the tiny bird. He looked distant. Thoughtful. “Noct?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry. Just thinking about the time my dad took me to see the chicks in the Citadel’s stables.” He held the chick up, smiling at the tiny creature. “This one can be Chole. For the woman who used to run our stables.”

“I remember her!” Iris said. “She knew everything you could possibly need to know about chocobos. She gave a talk at my school.”

“Prompto’s turn,” Noctis said, returning the chick to her mother and holding out his hands for the camera.

Barely stopping himself from throwing the camera at Noctis, Prompto found the biggest chick. Iris confirmed it too was a girl and Prompto started testing out names.

“Ruffles?”

“You can’t call a living creature Ruffles,” Noctis said. “Consider that a Royal Decree.”

Iris gasped. “That’s so harsh!”

“Hmm, okay. How about Moogle?”

“Don’t confuse the poor thing,” Noctis said.

“Hmmmm… Delilah?” Prompto offered.

“Delilah?” Noctis asked.

“Yeah! Delilah!” Prompto liked it. Sounded like a song for a name.

“Cute!” Iris said, clapping her hands. She stared at Noctis. “Right?”

“Uh –”

Iris leaned closer. “Right, Noct?”

Prompto stared at them and couldn’t help smiling. They were like brother and sister. It made a change to see Noctis in the big brother role. Usually he was the one being teased by Gladio. Not that Iris couldn’t hold her own.

Noctis sighed. “Delilah is acceptable.”

“Great.” Prompto returned the cheery chick to her mother.

Noctis forced himself back to his feet. “You guys carry on. I gotta head back.”

“Physio time?” Iris asked.

“Yeah.”

“Do your best!” Iris cheered, waving her arms. She looked to Prompto, who imitated her pose.

“You can do it, Noct!” he said.

“Yeah, and then afterwards can we play _Guess What’s in The Armiger_?” Iris asked.

Noctis laughed. “Can you what?”

She pointed at his crutches. “When did you put those in there?”

“Uh… dunno.”

“See?” Iris said. “What other mysteries could be contained within?” She waggled her fingers. “I bet you there’s some weird stuff in there.”

Prompto laughed at the blush colouring his friend’s cheeks. “Cat toys!”

Iris clapped. “A beach ball.”

“An umbrella!” Prompto was enjoying this game.

“Towels!”

“An iron because Ignis refuses to live without one.”

Iris snorted. “A kitchen sink!”

“A plunger.”

“Why?” Noctis asked. “Why would I have something, no, anything like that?”

“Because you’re the kind of person who saves everything just in case you need it someday.” Iris smirked. “I bet you even have that rubber chocobo toy you always used to play with in the bath!”

Noctis stared at Iris. “How do you even know about that?”

She shrugged. “Ignis and Gladio talk.”

“I’m going,” Noctis said, working his way back to the caravan.

Prompto turned to Iris. “You’re good at cheering him up.”

She smiled. “So are you. He’s gonna be okay.”

Watching Noctis retreating, Prompto nodded. “Yeah, he is.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! See y'all next week :D


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